Instinct: The Man Who Stopped the 20th Hijacker [Hardcover]

Michael A. Smerconish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009

The gripping story of courageous men and women who changed history - by stopping terrorists on American ground.

All author proceeds will be donated to the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the center of this dramatic true story is Mohammed al Kahtani, allegedly meant to serve as the 20th 9/11 hijacker, whose denial of entry to the U.S. by an Orlando customs officer may have provided just the edge that the passengers of United Flight 93 needed to overpower their captors. The questions that surround him, however, are central to the execution of the war on terror: in particular, was Kahtani a "highly trained al-Qaeda operative" or a "low-level mercenary tortured by his interrogators out of frustration or pure malice?" From the political fallout of denying foreign visitors entry to the fine line between profiling and professionalism (says one interrogation expert, "that intuitiveness, that innate ability, that instinct... if you fine tune it, you have a very powerful person") to the disturbing procedures at Guantanamo Bay, radio talk show host Smerconish (Muzzled: From T-Ball to Terrorism) presents the vivid narrative of United Flight 93 and the issues at hand with the skill of a seasoned reporter. Proceeds from the book support the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign.
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Review

 

Praise for the best-selling Murdered by Mumia

 

“A harrowing book, told with uncommon grace and dignity.”

—Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

 

Advance praise for Instinct

 

“Jose Melendez-Perez exemplifies the sheer will, gut instinct and honed expertise of a man devoted to the security of his country. Michael Smerconish superbly shines a deserving spotlight on this true American patriot.”  - The Honorable Tom Ridge

 

"Immigration Inspector Jose Melendez-Perez, along with other unspoken heroes, displayed remarkable instincts in making sure that somebody who has hostile intent against the United States of America does not get the chance to carry out a catastrophe. That coupled with inquiry, observation, technology and proper training are among our best advantages in the war on terror." - Bob Kerrey, President, The New School

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1 edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599215160
• ISBN-13: 978-1599215167
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instinct, May 24, 2010

By 

Noralynn Doyle Goold (Modesto, CA, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Instinct: The Man Who Stopped the 20th Hijacker (English and English Edition) (Hardcover)

If you think you know who the "20th hijacker on Sept. 11th was you are probably wrong. Read this book to find out how a veteran customs agent doggedly did his job and stopped him in the Orlando airport. I read this book from the library and promptly ordered it from Amazon so I could share it. It is insight on how the badest of the bad terrorists get caught. It isn't Washington Beltway political organizations. It is the professional cop or customs agent who takes personal responsibility to thoroughly do their job by the book and fully operating on the "gut instict" of a professional. It is the "look", "vibe" and "just not right explanation" given by the suspect that the professional gets the alarm to follow with stringent questioning. The many examples of American heros in the field are fascinating and helps the reader understand the importance of border security and enforcement. Well written, fast, easy and interesting read.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor performance as a pundit, January 16, 2010

By 

B. Futterman (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Instinct: The Man Who Stopped the 20th Hijacker (English and English Edition) (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a play-by-play of the events that precipitated 9/11 and the controversy that ensued at Gitmo, Smerconish spares no quotes or facts. But he does lean on the reader with heavy patriotism and attempts to pull at your heartstrings which left me with a cheapened appreciation for what the book is about.

Having read "Muzzled" and "Flying Blind", I was disappointed with "Instinct" and had greater expectations for Smerconish in the 'calling bulls---' department. Instead, he let other people do the talking and offers very little in the way of discussion as he has in his past books. I expected a more vibrant, persuasive call-to-arms for security reform and common sense than what I got. I almost felt bad for glazing over some of the paragraphs that were simply regurgitations of a life story or news column.

There are, however, fleeting moments of critique, analysis, and recommendation that I've highlighted and underlined for future reference, but it doesn't come up until half-way into the book. Jose Melendez-Perez is in good company with Diana Dean and other 'inherently talented behavioral interrogators' I was unfamiliar with before reading, so I credit Smerconish with broadening my own awareness of the decade of experience our government had with behavioral security techniques but failed to recognize and integrate before 2001.

The last quarter of the book is also all endnotes and references. Ideally 2.5 stars.